Use of apostrophe

[Thomas Cudbertson]

Hi,

When using an apostrophe if you are talking about possession should it be used at the end, for example authors', or before, for example author's?

Thank you.

[MsH2k]

Hi,

When using an apostrophe if you are talking about possession should it be used at the end, for example authors', or before, for example author's?

Thank you.

Hi,

It depends on whether author is singular or plural in this case. If there is only one author possessing the thing, it is author’s. If there are several authors possessing the thing/things, it is authors’. Here is an example:
The author’s stories varied in topic. (one author has stories)
The authors’ stories varied in topic. (more than one author has stories)

This link explains apostrophes well:
https://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp

I hope this helps!